Roller



April 27, 1948. G. w. HUTCHINSON 2,440,585

ROLLER Filed-June's, 1944 '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 W M W 3 pr 1948' cs. -w. HUTCHINSON I 2, r

' ROLLER Filed June 5, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 G: 0259? WJljdi'chimpn,

April 27, 1948. v G. w. HLITCHINSON 2,440,585

'ROLLER Filed Jurie 5; 1944 :s Sheets-Sheet s SEW/Mm:

Patented Apr. 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

George W. Hutchinson, Raleigh, N. C.

Application June 5, 1944, Serial No. 538,781

6 Claims. 1

Road rollers as at present generally constructed rely solely on weight for effectiveness, making them expensive to build and operate and also difficult to handle, particularlywhere the surface being rolled-is soft. The present invention enables the weight of such rollersto be greatly reduced, and yet the efficiency to be increased, by the provision of vibrating means working on the bottom inner surfaces of the roller shells; 01 the invention is applicable to existing rollers so as to greatly increase their eificiency. In accordance' with the invention I provide a carriage insertablein the bottom portion of a roller shell to rest on the inner surface thereof, the carriage having mounted thereon vibrating means, and having associated therewith means for supplying the driving medium, e. g., electric current, to the vibrating means.

Examples of apparatus in accordance with the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings with reference to which the invention will be explained. In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section of a roller in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a section substantially on line ,2-- of Figure 1 with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a partial horizontal axialsection taken at the left of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical'axial section of the lower portion of a modified form of roller.

Figure 5 is a section substantially on line 55 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a partial end elevation of a roller showing a further modification under the invention. 1

Referring first to Figures 1 to 3, reference numeral l0 designates a cylindrical metal shell having spoke plates H and I2 secured in its ends by means of bolts !3 passing through out-turned flanges l4 and IS on the plates. The spoke plates have central bearing hubs l6 and l I which receive an axle 18 whose projecting extremities are rotatable in bearings l9 and 20 in the ends of arms 2i and 22 which may be parts of a steering fork, or like structure, on which an end of the roller chassis is supported.

Reference numeral 23 designates generally a carriage which comprises a bottom wall '24 of a length slightly less than the inside distance between the spoke plates. Parallel rows of legs 25 and 26 extend longitudinally of wall 24 there beneath, the-legs being equipped with arcuate feet 21 and 28 by which the carriage is supported on the bottom inner wall of the shell. Side walls 29 and 30 rise from the bottom wall and have fixed to their outer surfaces in substantially balanced relation a number of vibrating units 3|, here contemplated as being of the electrically operated type although the invention is not lim- 5 ited in this respect.

Reference numeral 32 designates a platform which extends throughout the length of wall 24 and is supported thereabove on springs 33 which are positioned by centering bosses onthe platform 10 and wall. The platform is guided laterally by the side walls 29 and 30. r

Mounted on the platform at one end thereof is an internal combustion engine 34 whose crank shaft has an end 35 toward the adjacent end of the shell In so as to b engageable by a starting crank. A generator 36 is fixed on the platform inwardly of the engine and is arranged to be driven by the latter through a coupling 31. The generator is in connection with the vibrator units, preferably through suitable switch means. Reference numeral 38 designates a weight fixed on the opposite end of the platform from the engine for the sake of balance so that the load on the shell bottom is substantially uniform throughout 39 for the engine is supported on the platform in symmetrical relation so that balance is not affected by variations in volume of the tank 80 contents.

The carriage 23 has longitudinally extending horizontal wings 40 and M which terminate short of the shell in upturned flanges 42 and 413 whose purpose will be later described.

35 With the apparatus in operation, powerful and rapid vibrations are transmitted through the carriage to the bottom of the shell so that the Iatter is enabled to deliver a most effective compacting force, whilethe spring mounting of the platform 40 protects the mechanism carried on the platform against severe vibration. The vibrators 3| are arranged so that their major effect is vertical. From Figure 1 it will be noted that the end shoes cooperate with peripheral portions of the spoke 45 plates to limit axial movement of the carriage. When theshell is rotating, the vibratory action tends to keep the carriage from climbing the shell wall but in order to further restrain climbing and so keep the vibratory effect predominantly at the shell bottom where it is most effective, I provide means which will now be described.

Reference numeral 44 designates generally a frame which comprises a central longitudinal member 45 having at its top a semi-circular lon- 68 gitudinal groove in which the lower half of axle I8 is received. Series of horizontal arms 46 and 41 extend oppositely from member 45 and have their ends joined through arcuate bar portions 48 and 49 with the lower vertically extending end .portions of series of downwardly divergent arms 50 and El which straddle the carriage. Arms 46, 41, 50 and El have forked extremities in which are journaled wheels or rollers 52, 53, 54 and 55 by which the frame 44 is supported and guided in the shell iii. For the sake of rigidity the arms of the various series are connected by tie rods 56, 51, 58 and 59 which are equipped with spacers as indicated at 69, Figure 3.

As the shell is rotated, frame 44 rotates freely thereon, due to gravity, and substantially maintains its position in the bottom of the drum. Wheels 54 and 55 are closely adjacent the flanges 42 and 43, respectively and so will be engaged by the latter if the carriage attempts toclimb in either direction of rotation and will resist the climbing. The carriage will thus be heldsubstantially at the bottom of the shell. To increase the inertia of the frame, weights as at El and 62 may be suspended from the tie rods 56 and In the embodiment just described, it has been assumed that axle ill will rotate with the shell. Frame member 45 clears the axle sufilciently to permit this but is nevertheless sufficiently guided by the axle to prevent racking of the frame. If axle l8 were fixed, then member 45 could be rigidly bolted to it, but in the case of a fixed axle the simpler arrangement shown'in Figures 4 and 5 may be used.

Referring to these figures, the ends of the axle as extend through bearings 64 and 65 of the spoke plates and their extremities are keyed in frame members as at 66 so as to be held against rotation. Fixed on axle 63 are blocks 61 and 68 each of which has vertical faces on opposite sides of the axle, each face being provided'with vertical lateral flanges.

The carriage 69 is generally the same as in the first embodiment but is equipped with rollers as feet, omits the lateral wings and flanges, and has at each end anupstanding pair of arms, as at H and 12, Figure 5, which slidingly engage the faces of the blocks 6'! and 68 so that climbing of the carriage is positively prevented. Spring seats 73 and 14 are provided on the carriage beneath the blocks and compression springs and 16 are interposed between the seats and blocks so as to increase the pressure with which the carriage bears against the shell,

The method of assembly is simple in original construction or inconversion. With one spoke plate detached, the carriage and frame, Figures 1 to 3, can be easily inserted to position. In Figures 4 and 5 the absence of the axle is necessary during assembly, it, for example, being then pushed through the blocks 81 and 68 and the latter secured. In both cases all of the elements of. the vibration, producing, and transmitting mechanism are pre-assembled so as to be insertable in the shell as a unit.

In Figure .6 the shell, end plates, and axle may be the same as in the other forms, the shell being designated by, the reference numeral 80 and the I axle by the reference numeral ill. The carriage 82 has a bottom wall 83, supported on rollers 84, and vertical sid walls 85 and 86. Hanger yokes as at 81 have top bearing portions as at 88, through which the axle 8| passes, and, in the case of a fixed axle, each yoke may be locked to the axle by a set screw 89 so that the yoke is fixed against oscillation with its leg portions 90 and 9| extending vertically between the carriage side walls 85 and 86 in spaced relation thereto. The lower ends of the yoke legs pass freely through openings in a platform 92 which rests on springs 93 supported on seats 94 which rest on nuts at the lower ends of the legs. Platform 92 supports a motor generator outfit which may be exactly like that of the first embodiments. The carriage is limited as to longitudinal displacement by the spoke plates and is prevented from climbing by engagement of the side walls with the platform 92. The restraint is positive where the axle BI is fixed and the yokes are fixed thereto. However, even if the platform is suspended freely from the axle, its weight and that of the equipment carried thereby will serve to restrain the carriage against substantial climbing.

Further variations in the form and arrangement of parts are of course possible and are contemplated in the claims which follow.

l. A roller comprising a cylindrical shell, a carriage resting on the lower inner surface of the shell, said carriage having side wall portions, vi-

brating units fixed to said Wall portions, means,

including a prime mover spring-mounted on said carriage and arranged to drive said units, means 7 limiting movement of the carriage axially of the shell, and means restraining'the climbing of said carriage on the inner surface of the Shell during rotation of the latter so that vibrations will be transmitted through the carriage predominantly to the bottom portion of said shell.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the restraining means comprises a frame disposed in the lower portion of the shell, and wheels supporting said frame on the inner shell surface so that upon rotation of the shell said frame tends to maintain its position due to gravity, said frame straddling said carriagein a manner: to be engaged by the carriage to restrain climbing of the latter in either direction of rotation of the shell.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a fixed axle about which the shell rotates, and wherein said restraining means comprises spaced apart blocks fixed to said axle and each having vertical faces on opposite sides of the axle, and arms on the carriage slidably engaging said faces.

4. A roller comprising a cylindrical shell, a carriage resting on the lower inner surface of the shell, said carriage having side wall portions, vibrating means fixed to said wall portions, a spring-supported platform between said wall por tions, means including a prime mover mounted on said platform and arranged to drive said vibrating means, and means restraining the climbing of said carriage on the inner surface of said shell during rotation of the latter so that vibration will be transmitted through the carriage predominantly to the bottom portion of said shell.

5. A roller comprising a cylindrical shell, an axle for the shell, a carriage resting on the lower inner surface of the shell, vibrating means mounted on said carriage, a platform suspended from said axle, means including a prime mover mounted on said platform and arranged to drive said vibrating means, means between said carriage and platform whereby the platform serves to restrain climbing of said carriage on the inner surface of the shell during rotation of the latter so that vibrations will be transmitted through the carriage predominantly to the bottom portion of the shell, and a steering fork to which the axle is fixed against relative rotation.

6. A roller comprising a cylindrical shell, an axle for the shell, a carriage resting on the lower inner surface of the shell and having side wall portions, vibrating means mounted on said oarriage, a platform suspended from said axle disposed between said side wall portions, means including a prime mover mounted on said platform and arranged to drive said vibrating means, and means limiting movement of the carriage axially of the shell, said platform serving to restrain climbing of said carriage on the inner surface of the shell during rotation of the latter so that vibrations will be transmitted through the carriage predominantly to the bottom portion of the shell.

GEORGE W. HUTCHINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,223,024 Beierlein Nov. 26, 1940 2,344,701 Hutchinson Mar. 21, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 52,420 Denmark Dec.. 14, 1936 625,065 Germany Feb. 2, 1936 837,189

France Nov. 3, 1938 

